Self-starting explosive-engine.



E. N. DICKEBSUN. SELF STARTING EXPLDSIVE ENGINE.

(Application filed Nov. 6, 1900.)

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

WITNESSES: INVEN'I'OR I FM D1;

M T v 2510mm No. 681,1". E. N. DICKERSON.

SELF STARTING EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

(Application filed Nov. 5, 1900.)

Patented Aug. 20, mm.

(No mm.)- 2 Shets-Sheett 2.

I UNITE Srnmns EDWARD N. DIOKERSON, OF

STOVALL, NORTH CAROLINA.

SELF-STARTING EXPLOSlVE-ENGlNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 681,1 1 1, dated August20, 1901.

Application filed November 5 1900. Serial No. 85,457. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD N. DICKER- SON, of Stovall, Granville county,State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Improvement inSelf-Starting Explosive-Engines, of which the following is a full, true,and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improvement in mechanism for automaticallysetting in motion an engine, and is shown as applied to the ordinarytype of gasolene explosion-engines operating upon the four-cycle system.These engines,which are of the type generally used upon automobiles,have to be kept in constant operation. In case it is desired to startand stop the vehicles at intervalsthe driving mechanism is disconnectedfrom the engine. It is obviouslyimportant to be able to stop and startthe engine at will rather than to keep it in constant operation.Ordipressure generated within itself.

narily these engines of the smaller type are put in motion by a crankorlever or similar mechanism, and'sometimes a compressed-air system isemployed and sometimes secondary batteries and an electric motor areused to start the engine.

By my invention I dispense with allsecondary power and start the engineby the I remove and store some of the compressed gases produced in theoperation of the engine and subsequently utilize them for: putting themotor inoperation. i

My invention willbe readily understood from the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure-I represents a vertical elevation, generally incross-section, of my apparatus;

. Figs. II, III, and IV, details of the exhaust- Valve cam mechanism,and Fig. V a trans verse view of mechanism for arresting the crank at apoint off its dead-center.

The system is shown as applied to a twocylinder four-cycle gasolene-motor of the usual type, the firing mechanism being omitted forsimplicity. The cylinder mechanism is shown as identical for bothcylinders.

A representsa cylinder, and B a storagetank which connects with bothcylinders. 5Q

O is the usual crank-shaft, the centers being opposite, as shown.

D is the explosion-chamber.

L represents the ordinary exhaust-valve operated from the cam M on thesecondary shaft, the motion of which is reduced as two to one in theordinary way. The cam M, however, is a peculiar cam, having not only thefixed lifting-lug N, but also a secondary movable log or cam-shapedsurface 0, practically at one-hundred-and-eighty-degrees revolution fromthe fixed lug N. This lug is pivoted in the cam and can be raised bymeans of the longitudinally-sliding sleeve P, which, affecting the smalllevers B when it is moved toward the cam, causes the movable lug O toproject into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. III, being thena duplicate of the lug N. The sliding sleeve P is controlled by a systemof levers S, forming practically a toggle-joint, and operated from thecam T on the control-shaft U, the rotation of which shaft also opens andcloses the valves J by suitable connection, the arrangement being suchthat the valves J are opened when the supplemental lugs 0 project fromthe cam. A control-lever W brings the mechanism to the hand of theoperator. Exhaust-valves or petcocks X are controlled by a similar shaftto be opened in the usual way when the motion of the engine is caused tocease. The main shaft 0 may also be provided with a pulley Y, having init two depressions Z, with which a, projection on the lever a canengage. The lever a is removed out of contact with the pulley Y by therocker-arm I) through pin a and is held in contact with the pulley bythe strong spring (1. The rockerarm is operated by the rod Z, which isthrown by means of the cam on the shaft f, which operates the petcocks0c. Ordinarily the pet cocks are closed and the lever a is held out ofcontact with the pulley Y. The compression-chamber B may be providedwith a gage g and should be suitably insulated against ventthe'possibility of any explosion in the chamber Bin case mixed air andgasolene should enter therein. Such diaphragms are shown at m and n.

The operation of my mechanism can now be readily understood. When theengine is in operation, the arm connecting with levers S is raised bythe cam T or rod U, which simultaneously closes the valves J Theoperation is now identical with that of an ordinary explosion-engine,excepting that a portion of the compressedgases escapes by thecheckvalve K into the chamber B, which soon contains a pressureapproximately that of the explosion-chamber at the time of theexplosion. Of course this pressure will gradually reduce as the heatescapes; but it will be constantly kept up by additional amounts of hotgases, and as the pressure is in any event largely in excess of thatrequired to start the engine the loss of heat and pressure is notmaterial to be considered. When it is desired to stop the operation ofthe engine, the shaft 1 is turned in such a manner as to open thepetcocks 0c and allow the lever A to engage with the pulley or wheel Y,it of course being understood that the naphtha is shut 0E and theexplosion prevented. The notches on the surface ofthe wheel Yare soarranged that when the lever a engages the crank will be a little pastthe center. As the engine slows down and its momentum becomes less itwill soon come to rest, its motion being arrested by the lever a at aposition off the center. Of course this arrangement is not necessary inthree or four cylinder engines. When it is desired to start, the lever Wis turned, throwing the shaft U, which opens the valve J and also throwsout the supplemental lug on the cam M. These cams are so arranged as toopen the exhaust-valve as the piston approaches the lower termination ofits stroke, whereas the valve F is raised as soon as the crank passesits upper center. Under these circumstances it is plain that the machineis a single-acting two-cylinder trunk-engine, using thecompression-chamber B as a boiler. A single revolution is usually enoughto start the mechanism when the valves J are closed and the naphtha andexplosion mechanism turned on. The reason of the supplemental lug in thecam M is to enable the exhaust-valve to be opened at each stroke,whereas ordinarily it is only opened at each second stroke of thepiston. The engine may perform its work through the sprocket-wheel or inother suitable ways.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An explosion-motor comprising a storage-chamber, a cylinder having anexplosionchamber, a plurality of connections uniting said parts, eachincluding a valve and one of the valves being manually operable, a cockcontrolling the explosion-chamber, hand-op erable means for actuatingsaid cock, a piston in said cylinder, a shaft driven by said piston, andmechanism governed by said hand-operable means for stopping said shaft.

2. An explosion-motor comprising a storage-chamber, a cylinder having anexplosionchamber, a connection uniting-said parts,having a valve, anexhaust-valve for the said explosion-chamber, mechanism for causing theexhaust-valve to operate at each second revolution of the engine or ateach revolution of said engine at the will of the operator, a cockcontrolling the explosion-chamber, hand-operable means for actuatingsaid cook, a piston in said cylinder, a shaft driven by said piston, andmechanism governed by said hand-operable means for stopping said shaft.

3. An explosion motor including an exhaust-valve andacam for operatingthe same, said cam having diametrically opposite lugs one of which isfixed and the other of which is movable.

4. An explosion-motor includinga cylinder provided with supply andexhaust valves, a cam for actuating the exhaust-valve, said cam havingfixed and movable lugs, and mechanism for simultaneously operating themovable lug and the supply-valve.

5. An explosion-motor including a cylinder having a valve, a piston insaid cylinder, a shaft driven by said piston, a wheel connected withsaid shaft, having a notch, and manually-controlled means for operatingsaid le- .ver and valve in unison, said lever being arranged to entersaid notch.

6. The combination in an explosion-engine of a wheel Y provided withnotches N, a lever a engaging with said notches at the will of theoperator, and mechanism for simultaneously operating the petcocks of theengine when the lever a'is thrown into operation on the surface of thewheel Y, substantially as described.

7. An explosion-motor including a cylinder having an exhaust-valve,means including a rotary cam for opening said valve, said cam havingdiametrically opposite valve-opening members one of which is normallyinefiective and is movably mounted, and manually-operable means forputting said movable valveopening member into its efiective position.

8. An explosion-motor including a cylinder having a piston, a shaftoperable by said piston, a wheel connected with the shaft, having anotch, a lever having a portion to enter said notch, a rock-arm movableindependently of the lever and having a pin to engage said lever, and ayielding connection uniting the rock-arm and lever.

In testimony whereof I have signed my

